Sunday, December 29, 2013

Just A Little


Sometimes what a man needs is a little push and a confidence booster to go beyond the wall that seems impenetrable. That is why we only gain when we are with family who knows us and real friends who will stand by us even at our worst. Maybe there are family members and friends out there who need a little push to summon the courage sleeping inside and finally smash the wall. Let us deprive them not of a little encouragement.

We are brave, only that with many battles fought we somehow got wounded and afraid. We are not coward at birth, we just need to be reminded, embraced and aided sometimes, so we can fight the good fight and run the good race again.

Just a little, we just need a little and we can.

by aats

Thursday, December 26, 2013

The Soul That Walks In Love




It’s almost the end of the year again and most of us take this time to look back at life and hope for a better year ahead. The moment we look back we will notice the times we were so happy and at peace and also the times when we got tired and on the brink of giving up. One thing is for sure, the experience of joy and peace was the result of us loving others and being open to be love in return. The same is true, albeit on the other way, about the experience of being tired and giving up, it was the result of the absence of love and the walls we made to block ourselves from being love.

Saint John of the Cross, once said:

El alma que anda en amor,
ni cansa, ni se cansa

The soul that walks in love,
neither tires nor gets tired

Lord, may our experiences of this year, be it bad or good makes us more open to love so we can experience true joy. Amen.

by aats

Monday, December 23, 2013

Of Hope and Expectation


When we expect for something and it did not happened, we get disappointed. There is a better way, hope, when we hope, we put our trust in the Lord and we will not be disappointed. When we expect, our mind is telling us that something will happen because of certain things we do, quiet different from hope, when we hope we see something beyond what our mind can comprehend. To hope is to accept whatever the answer from the God who disappoints not.

Lord, my mind is inclined to expect but I will not, I will only hope in You. Amen.

by aats

Friday, December 20, 2013

Inspiration


Inspiration is important in a world full of despair. We need to inspire and smile. Behind misery, there is still so much goodness and beauty around. We all need inspiration and the world needs inspiration. Inspire and be inspired.

Lord, grant us inspiration and make us an inspiration. Amen. 

by aats

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Christmas and Humility


The message of Christmas is humility. Christ who is God and King chose to be born to a poor family of Joseph and Mary, to be a servant to all. It is our challenge to continue serving in all humility like Jesus. We strive to be holy in all aspects of our lives and be witnesses in the way we live our lives

by aats

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Thank You Lord


This month is my last month of service in YFC. I look back with thanksgiving to God for all He has done and I look forward to the future with excitement for my new service in SFC.

Let me thank you Lord, though my words may fail to describe how gracious you are.

Thank Lord for the gift of YFC. Thank you for bringing me to this community. You have taught me to love, honor and respect. You have blessed me in so many ways, with health, family and brothers and sisters. You brought me to so many places far beyond my imagination. I stand in awe of your goodness and kneel in adoration of your miraculous ways. Where am I today if you did not brought me here in community? You are amazing God!

As I end my service in YFC, I pray for special blessing for the ministry, may you bless the leaders and members. May you bring it to greater heights and guide them to always lead with integrity, passion and excellence for the mission.  

All glory and praise to You. Amen.


by aats

Monday, December 9, 2013

The Good Thing About Confession


We are familiar of course of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is one of the most beautiful gifts one can ever receive. Isn’t it liberating to be forgiven? The good thing about confession, aside from the fact that we are forgiven is the feeling of being accepted as who you are, no questions ask.  

by aats

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

We Are Not Naive


I’ve heard some saying that as Christians we need to be fully aware of the world. We cannot be forever in a cocoon protected from realities of life that when it breaks we find it hard to survive. This has to be truer with missionaries. Missionaries cannot be naïve to what is happening in the world. We need to understand its ways and dealings if we are to proclaim His love effectively.

Missionaries are not naïve. We understand and we are fully aware what is happening around us that is precisely why we choose what is true, good and beautiful because we see it and experienced it and we came into a conclusion that there has to be something more than what it offers.

Our awareness of the world should compel us to speak the truth, choose the good and see the beautiful. 

by aats

The Call


It is never wrong to decide to be on the side with Christ. Only the best can come from Christ, after all He is the source of all that is best. The question of calling then is not a question of choosing what is best for us, but rather a deeper realization that there is a specific and personal call that demands a specific and personal answer from us.

When I answered the call, I thought before that I am leaving behind my dreams and desires but now more than ever I am affirmed that what I did was actually opening up my hands to receive something that is greater. When we answer to a call, I believe we are saying yes to a blessing. 

by aats

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Routine


Not everything about routine is boring. After being away for almost a month and being back in my main area of mission, I felt so good to be back in my routine. There is something good about routine it gives us certainty.

Lord, may you grant us the grace to see the beauty in the routine. Amen. 

by aats

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Surrender


This month I started the “33 Days to Morning Glory” by Father Michael E. Gaitley, a “do-it-yourself” retreat leading to the consecration to Jesus through Mary. One thing that struck me is the readings on total surrender. Surrender goes against the usual reaction of men, we don't want surrender we want control. Marys’ life is a life of total surrender and the thought of following her way of total surrender is scary but the more I go through the days of reading and reflection the more I am assured that it is the best way and the most grace-filled road to walk through. My take on this is that it will be a practice of humility and surrender for me. To surrender is to put myself within the bounds of grace. After all, Mary is full of grace. Can there be more beautiful and wonderful than that?

by aats

Monday, November 18, 2013

Inspirations In The Middle Of The Atlantic




I am here in Bermuda for the Singles For Christ Discovery Weekend. It was a weekend filled with the Holy Spirit. The event itself was very inspiring, however it did not end there, as my brothers and sisters in the community never failed to show me Christ love in their lives.

I discovered the God of hospitality and generosity. They brought me to different places of interest in Bermuda. I even had some snorkeling! What more can I ask, swimming while back in Canada it‘s already almost winter weather.

I discovered the God of nature and the simple things. Bermuda is a beautiful island. It is dotted with pristine beaches, beautiful houses and picturesque winding roads. I like the houses and what amazes me is that during one of my prayer time at the retreat God spoke to me through a “roof”. I was seating on the side while the participants were doing an activity and I asked God, “Lord, what is it you are trying to say about this roof?” By the way, the roofs in Bermuda are concrete and are designed to catch water from the rain. (picture)  I heard an inspiration saying, “Like that roof that tries to catch all the waters from the rain that fall on it, catch all the moments of grace that falls on you.” God is in the nature and the simple things. 



I discovered the God of seekers and surprises. When I had some opportunities to talk with my brothers and sisters, I was reaffirmed that all of us are seekers. We seek for what fulfills us and what makes us happy. The seeking brought us to different places and somehow some things make us say, “There is something lacking.” And we found that “lacking” as a cry to the God who can fill us up, He who makes us fulfilled and happy.

We are but passers by in this world, and so we need to maximize our time and use it for good. And when we use our time for good, God surprises us with all things unimaginable. Just for this trip, God overwhelmed me with surprises. When we arrived at our host, I found out that our wife host was actually a YFC member back in the Philippines and more than that, I actually was serving with her sister and some of her friends, back when I was assigned in there place. Another surprise came when I was introduced to a brother only to find out that we actually graduated on the same year in the same university, together with another sister in the community whose cousin too I was serving back in my university years. It did not end there, another Couple came over and when we started talking, we started realizing that we knew each other already and it turned out we did. During my first mission in there province back in the Philippines, we met and in fact, I was able to sleep over in there home once, because I had a one on one talk with her brother. It seems like the Lord is telling me, anywhere you go (even in the middle of the Atlantic), you will feel my assuring embrace.

I am blessed with the place and the people. God showed me His love through the place and He allowed me to experience it more through the stories shared, lives exchanged and inspirations shown by my brothers and sisters. I am affirmed once more that God never fails.

I have so much to thank for and even much more to learn from them. I am just starting to chew what He had just shown me and for sure more realizations and inspirations to come. And, for this I am grateful. 

by aats

Friday, November 8, 2013

The Process of Falling


Fall is beautiful because of its colors, but take note its beauty comes from dying leaves. Nature has so much to teach us. Beauty never waivers with age, instead it becomes sharper as years go by, until such time it is no more, only to come back to life in spring.

During fall, the leaves started dying and falling. The process of falling is the process of being laid bare. The trees starts shedding off their leaves and soon enough it is laid bare. Shedding allows the trees to reserve energy and survive the harsh winter weather.  When you are bare, you are at your most vulnerable self, yet you are also at your most chances of surviving hardship. The more you fall, the more you enter into the mystery of being bare. 

by aats

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The Selflessness Exchange


There is no better assurance for a woman than to have a man who love God more than her, because if he love God more than her then he can love her more than himself. He will love her with the love of the Lord. The same is true for man. There is no better assurance for him than to have a woman who love God more than him. This is the beauty of what we can call, the selflessness exchange. 

by aats

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Deceivingly Warm






I’m in Winnipeg and the sun is shining, the sky is clear. Deceivingly warm to look at. Who would think it’s actually minus 5 degrees? You have to feel it to know it. Sometimes seeing is not enough; you need to feel it to know it’s true. 


by aats

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Where Have All the Signs Go?


Where have all the signs go? We have heard this many times when someone is courting or being courted, they would say, “Oh I prayed and this sign was just too overwhelming... I ask for a rose and he gave me a rose.” “I ask for this and the gospel reading was precisely the answer and so I decided she's the one...” Fast forward months or years later, we can hear already, “Maybe this is really not for me because of this and that...” “I realized that I am not ready,” and so on and so forth... Both or either of the two seems to have lost the signs. Where have all the signs go?

Learning here: signs are good, but do not rely too much on it, God even warned us, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." Mat 12:39

Signs and wonders for sure are part of Gods ways, but might as well be discerning because the other side can also do it and use it to deceive us. Wrong reading of signs leads to hurts and pains, confusion and disillusionment.

by aats

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Perseverance Is Good But


We might have been persevering for a long time now in work, family or relationship. We might even be losing hope already, feeling depressed. Life is not meant to be just perseverance, such life is hard. God does not want us to just persevere; He wants us to have a life, life to the full (John 10:10). He wants us to be happy and enjoy life. Our situation cannot remain perseverance always, we must look at the things we do and make some changes to our lifestyle. Perseverance is good but it’s not the end itself.

We cannot live by work alone, we need to nourish our spiritual life as well. We cannot remain forever in a work environment; we must go out and seek out an environment that can refresh our soul. We will never flourish in our work alone; we will survive but not flourish. We need to seek balance in all areas of our lives and do things that not just feed our bodies but our souls if we are to flourish and not just survive.

God has so much for us and we choose the lesser things. He is giving us a banquet and we choose to eat only chips! So choose the banquet. 

by aats

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Open Communication


In relationship, there should be no assumption. No one should assume what the other thinks or do. One must be clear. Yes, there are non-verbal things and that adds up to the beauty of loving, but being open and honest with each other brings relationship to maturity. There is no substitute to open and honest communication if we want relationship to work.

by aats

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

On Thanksgiving Day


Celebrating Thanksgiving Day is a good reminder that there are so many things to thank than to complain for. We can easily be carried away with negative things that are happening in our lives but summing up everything, there is still so much good than bad.  

In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

by aats

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Life is Like an Airport


Life is like an airport. You arrive and depart. While in between the departure and arrival is the waiting. The waiting makes the difference. Am I going to make myself useful while waiting? There will be delays and it will test our patience. Waiting is good so long as we focus on the prize without being distracted of what is now. 

by aats

Monday, October 7, 2013

When The Cross Becomes But a Fashion


I attended a mass today and I found myself intently looking at the cross in the altar. It made me think of how many people are actually wearing the cross and have not fully grasps the meaning of it. The cross we wear now has become just a fashion.

When the cross becomes but a fashion, the truth of its brutality is glossed over. Our challenge as Christians is to look at the cross with the eyes open to the truth that there was a man who was brutally crucified, humiliated and died a horrifying death. The cost of love is the cross. Lest we forget, Jesus ransomed us with the cross. He was showing us that to love is to die on the cross. And, that’s something more than fashion.

When we wear that cross, may we understand the deep love of Christ for us. Lord, thank you for showing us the way of love through the cross. Amen.  

by aats